Bruce Trail Conservancy Launches $7.5M Campaign to Protect and Restore Former Talisman Resort Lands
Bruce Trail Conservancy’s $7.5-million campaign aims to transform the former Talisman Mountain Resort in Beaver Valley into the Talisman Forest Nature Reserve.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) has launched a $7.5-million fundraising campaign to protect and restore a major portion of the former Talisman Mountain Resort property in the Beaver Valley, with plans to transform the long-dormant site into a publicly accessible nature reserve.
The newly named Talisman Forest Nature Reserve includes more than 134 acres of Niagara Escarpment land and 885 metres of the Bruce Trail. The conservancy says it plans to remove deteriorating resort structures, restore the landscape to a more natural state, and reopen the area for public exploration.
The campaign follows BTC’s recent purchase of a major parcel of the former resort lands. The acquisition was announced Dec. 1, 2025, and includes more than 120 acres—closer to 140 acres when buildings and developed areas are included—near Kimberley in Grey Highlands.
The land includes the Niagara Escarpment brow, former ski slopes and base-area structures such as the hotel, ski lodge and restaurant. BTC says the purchase will permanently protect the property from future development while enabling ecological restoration and securing public access to the Bruce Trail corridor.
“For decades, the former Talisman Mountain Resort served as a place of connection in the Beaver Valley community and beyond,” the conservancy said in a campaign announcement.
Once one of Ontario’s best-known ski destinations, Talisman Mountain Resort shut down in 2011 after years of financial trouble and increasing competition from larger nearby resorts.
By the early 2000s, the resort was struggling financially. Unpaid taxes and creditor claims contributed to its collapse, and the property was placed in receivership later that year. The closure left the site with vacant buildings, mounting tax arrears and an uncertain future.
In 2013, the Municipality of Grey Highlands purchased the property following bankruptcy proceedings, tax arrears and foreclosures. The municipality later divided the land into separate parcels and attempted to resell them or attract investors.
A Toronto-based development group purchased the resort portion in 2014 and proposed reopening it as a hotel, spa and conference destination, but the redevelopment plans never fully materialized. In the years since, the property has remained largely dormant and continued to deteriorate.
BTC says the total cost to acquire, protect and restore the lands is estimated at $7.5 million.
According to the conservancy, $1.86 million has already been raised through early donor support. The next $1.5 million in donations will be matched by Environment and Climate Change Canada, doubling the impact of contributions during the campaign.
BTC describes the Talisman project as its most ambitious conservation effort to date.
The organization says restoring the site will preserve an important natural corridor along the Niagara Escarpment and provide habitat for native species, while reconnecting the public with a landscape long closed off.
“For years, Talisman stood as both a cultural landmark and a stunning gateway to nature,” the conservancy said. “With your support, this extraordinary landscape will continue to connect people to nature while providing vital habitat for our beloved native species, forever.”
Bruce Trail Conservancy CEO Michael McDonald called the effort a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to save and restore the property for future generations.
More information about the campaign and donation opportunities is available through the Bruce Trail Conservancy.
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